"The State Targeted the Panthers Because We Were Socialists, Not Because We Were Armed"

[Fantastic Anarchist]

Last edited Fri Apr 17, 2015, 06:57 AM - Edit history (1)

JAY: I mean, partly what you thought then, but also what you think now, assessing the situation, what is the relationship, do you think, between armed self-defense, community organizing, and what happened there? I mean, certainly what electrified people about the Panthers wasn't just the breakfast program. It was the fact that they took up this banner of armed self-defense. If it had been just the breakfast program, it probably wouldn't have had the same impact that it did. On the other hand, it was such a threat to the state that it brought on an enormous assault. So what was right or wrong about it? I mean, how does this--.
CONWAY: Well, there's three things that's got to be factored in here. First, there were other armed self-defense groups all over America--the American Nazi Party, the Ku Klux Klan, the states' right parties, white supremacy, all kinds of militant white groups all around America, armed, openly carrying arms.

JAY: But they don't threaten the status quo the way armed black people do.

CONWAY: They don't, because they weren't black. So black was one of the key factors that was frightening. But also having a philosophy of socialism was also a factor that was very frightening, because the example the Black Panther Party set in its socialist programs was a threat to the structure of capitalism in America, and in the world, in fact. So that was scary.
The other thing was the ability of the--because there were other armed black groups. There were black self-defense groups all over the black community. But it was only the Panthers that were working with white groups and that was working with Mexicans and that was working with Puerto Ricans and that was working with the American Indians and that was working with the Asians. And all of those different groups imitated the Black Panther Party and their thing. The Brown Berets, they armed theirself to protect their community, and the American Indian movement, or what we call "red beret", they did the same thing. The Young Lords, they did the same thing. And the White Panthers, which people don't even probably even know exist, they did the same thing. But other white--the White Patriot Party, other groups did the same thing. They armed theirself and used the Black Panther Party as a template to do programs in their communities. That was the threat, the threat of all of these different people from all of these different communities working together.

JAY: The Panthers could become the core of a revolutionary movement.

CONWAY: Yeah. And so that was a threat.

And it is those three things, pretty much, that created the kind of reaction that made the government say, well, okay, we need to destroy this organization.

JAY: When you look back, could that have been avoided? And what I mean by that, I mean the amount of infiltration, the amount of--the way they were able to get such factional fighting going. Did the armed--I know a lot of the kind of more adventurous armed actions were encouraged by the cops, but might there have been away to prevent that?

CONWAY: Well, looking back with hindsight from where I sit right now, I don't think it would have been possible to stop the destruction of the Black Panther Party. Historically, if you look back all the way back to slavery, say, for instance, any time there had ever been any organized black activities just for human rights, just for recognition of peoplehood, there has always been an concerted effort, either through the community or through the government, to destroy whether it was the maroon communities or whether it was a black community, Wall Street, say, for instance, in Oklahoma, whatever--or Rosewood; you name it--community that stood up and declared that they were humans and they needed to be treated like other human beings and they was going to take care of theirself, those communities were always destroyed.

I think all the efforts historically in America has been that white supremacy have organized to destroy any real effort for black people to gain power and gain control over their community, because there's an economic relationship that means that if black people gain power and gain control of their community, white people don't get the benefit from that.

JAY: Well, so it's sold, anyway, I mean, so it's sold it to sections of the white working class.

CONWAY: Yeah, and that's true, because I'm really talking about the ruling class and I'm not talking about--because it is that divide and conquer that keeps us from working together.

JAY: I mean, they've been selling this to white workers since the American Revolution, that all whites are in the same boat.

More ...

Edit to format the paragraphs as I posted from my phone.

[Mnpaul]

1. I guess that explains why Reagan passed the open carry ban in less than a month

It was all about socialism.

Almost as ridiculous as the FBI raiding the Antiwar Committee in 2010 to stop them from violently overthrowing the government.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

3. What do your red herrings have to do with my post?

[Mnpaul]

8. They have everything to do with your post

The big scary socialism(or communism) was often used to silence political dissent. The Black Panthers rose up due to the police were having open season on black people(much as they are doing now). They began open carrying weapons to protect their people from the police and the FBI. Reagan and the Cal. legislators wasted no time passing laws that banned open carry.

The same thing is true for the New Black Panthers at the polling place. One was actually a registered poll worker. Not one voter complained of intimidation by these two(which is why no charges were filed). The only people intimidated were the white Republican lawyers there to disqualify black voters. They knew that and they admitted to filming it for the sole reason of using it as propaganda. In the full version you can hear them telling others to keep out of camera range so they didn't "ruin the shot.

The Antiwar Committee was associated with Freedom Road Socialist Mick Kelly. Kelly traveled to Chile and Gaza encouraging people there to settle their problems peacefully. The FBI made silly claims about them having secret "red cells" across the country to overthrow our government when the time comes. The FBI made up silly claims of Kelly smuggling suitcases of cash to Gaza to aid the terrorists. These people had no access to large amounts of cash and were headquartered in space donated by a small church. Five years later, the FBI has not provided one ounce of proof to back these claims. The Antiwar committee and Kelly were subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. They ignored it and refused to appear. Eight months later, they did it again and again it was ignored. It is quite easy to see that it wasn't about stopping socialism, it was about silencing political dissent.

[deutsey]

2. There's no doubt Hoover and COINTELPRO targeted left-wing groups

Carrying on a tradition of undermining and destroying socialist movements in America going back to the Red Scares, Palmer Raids, McCarthyism, etc.

[eridani]

4. Also because organizers like Fred Hampton were starting to connect with poor white people

Charismatic black leaders who begin to overcome racial barriers tend to have short lifespans. See also MLK, Jr.

[daredtowork]

6. It's true you never hear about the socialism in the school books

You might read about the Black Panthers as militants if they are mentioned in a school textbook on the East Coast. But when you look into the "community under siege" issues of Oakland in the 60s and 70s, you see the Black Panthers involved in distributing free food, organizing shoe drives, getting elderly people to appointments - they got stuff done in a way it's NOT getting done today. I wish the heck they would come back!

There needs to be some self-defense of the people in these communities! There needs to be someone actively fighting for food access, housing, heat and electricity, basic survival supplies, and medicine tooth and nail. Our ostensible government "representatives" aren't doing their job in fighting for us - they are doing TAKE AWAYS of basic survival necessities instead - one layer of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs at a time!

So come on back Black Panthers! The FBI isn't doing all that much for us besides chasing shadows of terrorists and fomenting fake drug wars. The police are just as likely to shoot us as to save us! The Black Panthers were a symbol of open resistance to urban abandonment - and, even worse, cashing in at the expense of the urban indigent poor. Today circumstances call for the Black Panthers to return.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

7. Exactly this.

I grew up thinking the Black Panthers as violent militants. Never knew about the community assistance and organizing that went on. Funny, that.